North East London Cancer Alliance tops performance standards

Recent national statistics for cancer show that North East London Cancer Alliance is the top performer in a number of key metrics, reflecting the ongoing work to improve cancer services for local residents across north east London.

Based on data from April 2022 to March 2023, the North East London Cancer Alliance was either top performer or second top performer in 9 out of 10 cancer waiting times standards, such as:

• Two week wait referrals (patients being seen by a specialist within two weeks of a referral by their GP)
• Faster Diagnosis Standard (the target is that you should not wait more than 28 days from referral to finding out whether you have cancer or not)
• 31 Day First Treatment (no more than 31 days wait between the meeting at which you and your doctor agree the treatment plan and the start of treatment)

North East London Cancer Alliance performed particularly well in February and March 2023, being the best cancer alliance out of 21 cancer alliances nationally in a number of the most recently published metrics. This performance is reflected across all our trusts in north east London. For example:

• Barts Health is leading in key areas such as against the target for patients having treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy within 31 days
• Homerton Healthcare is recording figures of nearly 100% for patients starting treatment within 31 days of a treatment plan being agreed, higher than the average for both London and the whole of the country
• BHRUT achieved the Faster Diagnosis Standard (the target is that you should not wait more than 28 days from referral to finding out whether you have cancer or not) for March 2023

Angela Wong, Chief Medical Officer for the North East London Cancer Alliance, says “All the hard work of our GPs, diagnostic and clinical leads, clinicians, nurses and cancer staff across north east London is making a big difference to cancer diagnosis and treatment for our residents.

“Whether it is launching a new state of the art MRI facility, working on best practice timed pathways and tailored surgery sessions to increase the number of diagnostic procedures, introducing AI and robotic diagnostics, or running cancer awareness campaigns targeted at our diverse communities, we are reducing the backlog, providing earlier diagnosis and delivering quicker treatment for our patients.”

The North East London Cancer Alliance is part of the North East London Integrated Care System and is committed to improving cancer outcomes and reducing inequalities for local people. The aim is that everyone has equal access to better cancer services to:

• Prevent cancer
• Spot cancer sooner
• Provide the right treatment at the right time
• Support people and families affected by cancer

The North East London Cancer Alliance works with patients, residents, carers, hospitals, GP practices, health and care professionals, local authorities and community and voluntary organisations across north east London.

Femi Odewale, Managing Director of the North East London Cancer Alliance, says “We recognise there is still more work to do to meet the diverse needs of our community and to tackle health inequalities.

“That’s where our ground-breaking initiatives will help, such as Best For My Chest, a breast screening campaign aimed at the LGBTIQ+ community, and You Need To Know, a womb cancer awareness campaign focussed on Black African, Black Caribbean and South Asian women in north east London.”

Details of these projects and more are available on the North East London Cancer Alliance webpages, or you can follow the cancer alliance on social media:

Twitter:          @CancerNEL
Facebook:     @NELCancerAlliance
Instagram:     @CancerNEL
YouTube:       https://www.youtube.com/@nelcanceralliance
LinkedIn:        https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-east-london-cancer-alliance/